Medical Assistance, Without Borders
Photo: Larry Towell/Magnum, for The New York Times
On the off chance you’ve realized that something is very wrong with health care in the US, the New York Times magazine published a very interesting series of photos. These photos were taken here in the U.S. of people receiving health care in fairgrounds and barns. Those obtaining care had no way of paying for a doctor or a dentist, and traveled many hours or even days to get to the medical “facilities.” The majority of them appeared to have major health problems which they could not afford to pay for at home.
A quote from the Helfgott Blog:
“There is little doubt that poverty and health are closely linked. According to the Center for Disease Control, poor adults in the United States – defined as persons whose family incomes are below the Census Bureau’s poverty threshold - had higher levels of heart disease, respiratory conditions, diabetes, pain, depression, and anxiety than non-poor adults.”
Remote Area Medical (RAM), an all volunteer organization, was the one who set up sites in the U.S. RAM helps those in need all over the world. There are other organizations that do similar work, Acupuncturists Without Borders, and Doctors without Borders. So many people depend on free medical care all around the world.
I think a lot of us never knew how bad it was here in the United States. The New York Times brought to light a huge problem that must be taken care of as soon as possible.
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Comments
Thanks Eric! When I lived in Canada and Korea, I felt very fortunate to have universal health care. While I’d love to see that here in the US, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. I was incredibly shocked and scared at how difficult it was to obtain care here if you are a student or not working for a company.
I think a great option for us as (future) acupuncturists it to provide health care in a group setting at a lower cost. Check out my first blog about community acupuncture- both Brooklyn and WCA have great business models that provide care for everyone.
Thanks for a timely article - and for putting this blog together. It’s nice to have more Portland based health bloggers! There’s no doubt that there is something dramatically wrong with healthcare in this country, I think about it almost every day. The question is - what are we, as health care practitioners and future health care practitioners - to do about it? I get a little frozen up when I contemplate that question.
Certainly reaching out to underserved populations is important, but we also have to make a living! Certainly supporting political candidates that seem to be seeking a solution is important, but it’s rare that a system that created a problem is capable of solving it. What are your ideas?
Eric Grey
http://deepesthealth.com